Papercut
A/N: Thank you, reviewers. You're wonderful.
Response to reviewers:
pikeebo: Thank you for taking the time to review! I hope your eyes nearly pop out again at this update! Yes, I love my twists!
animefreak03: Ah, no pitchfork please! I'm back! I updated, you see so no need for the pitchfork anymore! There is some Yuri/Wolfram so enjoy! Thanks so much for reviewing!
machi: Some of your answers are going to be answered soon enough! Thank you for taking the time to review my story and enjoy!
TIFFANY: Merry (belated) Christmas! Well, happy or not, you'll decide for yourself in the last chapter, which will be coming up very soon! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Lina: Thank you again for yet another review! Well, what Sagira will do to Wolfram I cannot confess just yet but I hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless! Thanks again and is Gwendel safe yet? Maybe…Maybe not.
akiray: Thank you for reviewing. Wolfram pain is probably still to come now that things are heating up in chapter 13. I won't reveal anything here so go read! Thanks again!
bratsrule: Thank you for reviewing and your kind words! I'm glad you like it and I hope you continue to like it!
Warnings: Some soft core sexual activities (no actual sex)
Spoilers: Ken Murata's identity (if you haven't figured it out by now)
Important note: Bold italicsrefer to It speaking subconsciously to Wolfram.
101010
"Sagira," Khalid breathed with a lost voice. The embodiment of everything he loathed stood only mere feet away from him and yet he could not muster the strength required to strike him down.
Two psychotic orbs struck Khalid with the speed of an arrow. "You disgust me," the eldest of the two brothers hissed with a thin grin. Sagira widened his eyes and a force of immense power lifted Khalid off his feet.
"Khalid!" Wolfram shouted, more in shock than in concern. The man was catapulted into a nearby boulder and if it weren't for Khalid's agility, he surely would have been split in half.
Sagira decided to slide his attention to the others. "Run," his silky voice commanded.
Yuri's eyes dilated in fear. His brain was demanding the higher production of adrenaline, preparing his body for flight or fight. "W-What?"
Like a beast staring down his dinner, Sagira repeated with flashing teeth, "Run. The chase is more fun than the catch."
Conrad caught Murata's eye and he nodded in understanding. "Wolfram-"
"Is my property now," Sagira clarified, taking three strides toward Wolfram.
Wolfram's breath caught. Despite his powerless state, the blonde arranged his body to protect Gwendel. Sagira did not touch him though. Instead, the nude man simply stood before him, employing his body as a barrier.
Murata understood the message. If they wanted to take Wolfram, they would have to penetrate Sagira's defenses. "We'll retreat for now," he muttered under his breath to Conrad.
"What?!" hissed Yuri, overhearing. "We can't leave Wolfram and Gwendel!"
"He's right, Yuri," Conrad replied, keeping his visual attention on Sagira. "We're playing his game now."
Khalid sensed the bickering amused Sagira enough to distract him. With his own pair of eyes brightening, Khalid's lips frantically moved to conduct a spell. In a slow gesture, his right hand raised and fixated on Wolfram and Gwendel's forms.
"What are you doing?" Sagira suddenly asked, glancing back. "You-!"
The last of the spell was cast with a final bellow and the shadows tore loose from the darkened floors. They groaned and a large gem situated upon the middle of their face. Conrad noted they were the same figures that had attacked them once before.
"Take them out!" Khalid ordered with a strained voice, his body tiring.
The shadows leapt instantly toward everyone minus Sagira, snatching them by their arms. Without a chance to protest, Yuri and company were swallowed by the darkness then dragged into the gloom of the floors.
Sagira failed to stop the assault and was even slower to strike Khalid with another blow. His brother had vanished along with the shadows.
Though furious, a smirk applied a sinister touch to Sagira's lean face. "So, dirty tricks, is it?" he whispered to himself and his amusement ripped out waves of laughter from the man.
As his fit subsided, the man raised his hands, palms downward and fingers slightly curled. The ground beneath his feet rumbled and moaned. The decaying bodies and limbs crawled to him in obedience, the slick sound of their flesh rubbing against one another comforting Sagira.
"Alright then, you wretched creatures, it's time to demonstrate exactly why I'm called The Bad."
101010
Wolfram choked for air as he was dumped into familiar marble tiles. Clutching his throat, the Prince of Sulteri fluttered his eyes until they opened. "Yuri?" he gasped.
"Wolfram!" Yuri returned and the double black scampered to his feet. Wolfram barely had time to register the action as his fiancé swallowed his body into warm and welcoming arms. "Oh, Wolfram."
Yuri's heat, both from within and out, eased away any discomfort from Wolfram's body and mind. "Yuri, I…"
Unable to formulate words to translate his emotions, Wolfram only pressed himself harder into Yuri. Yuri, understanding, expressed himself with the threat of tears and by whispering, "I've missed you far too much. Are you hurt?"
Khalid narrowed his eyes at the scene and began spitting out orders when his servants and soldiers noticed their sudden presence. "Prepare for Sagira!"
The booming voice called the blonde back to reality. Wolfram eased back a bit and nodded to Yuri. "Wimp, I'm not the one I'm worried about," he commented and turned back to where he suspected Gwendel resided.
The man was already surrounded by Conrad and Murata, who seemed curiously interested in the man's right eye. Wolfram shifted away from Yuri and knelt beside his brother. "Gwendel…"
"His right eyes is still red," Murata explained with graveness as he peeled back Gwendel's eyelid. "He may still be under Sagira's influence."
Wolfram growled at Murata when the other boy used the suggestive tone. "We are not leaving him to be fed to Sagira!" he yelled, face brightening in ferocity.
"What if he's a Red Eye member, then?" Murata offered the scenario, fixating Wolfram with a grim expression. It asked Wolfram the silent and impossible question of whether or not he could kill his own brother.
The reality of Gwendel's condition struck Wolfram with enough of an invisible force to send him sprawling beside his fallen brother. "Gwendel," he whimpered, hand shakily resting on the man's cold face. "Gwendel, please, open your eyes."
"Make a comment like that again, Great Sage, and I'll teach you a lesson," Khalid's voice grumbled from afar. The man stood a distance away from them but was keenly observing them. "Come here, Conrart. Let me take care of that wound."
When Conrad remained still, Khalid stomped over to him and forced the man to sit. Yuri quickly went to his godfather and offered whatever assistance Khalid may need. It was also to assure that Khalid would not further harm the brunette.
"He won't become a zombie or anything because he got bitten, right?" inquired Yuri, fearing that the horror movies he once watched held truth to them.
Khalid stole a glance at the boy with a peculiar face. "At the worst, it will get infected. He'll be fine," he assured.
Wincing, Conrad allowed Khalid and Yuri to tend to his injury and was entertained by Yuri's question. "So what of Gwendel?" he finally inquired.
"Gwendel is no member of Red Eye," Khalid stated as he tugged out a small vile from the pouch swinging from a hook attached to his loose belt. Popping the lid open, he instructed Yuri to hold Conrad's shoulder still as he applied the lotion.
Conrad pressed with a grimace, "How do you know that?"
Khalid pressed his fingers lightly against the raw flesh. "I cannot sense his spirit," he finally said as if speaking in lay man's term. "However, that's not to say he's not a threat to us."
"Then WHAT is it?!" Wolfram shrieked, startling everyone in the room. Even the shadows, crouched from a distance, shuddered. "I'm DONE with your cursed riddles!"
"There," Khalid said and then expertly wrapped Conrad's shoulder with the gauze he kept in the same pouch from which the lotion had sprung forth. "It's as I say, Wolfram."
Yuri stared in amazement as Wolfram then stood up, stomped toward Khalid, and snatched the man by the front of his shirt. The blonde's distress was visible for all to see as he attempted to half throttle the King of Sulteri.
Khalid met Wolfram's eyes but they were glazing over, the fire in his eyes fading like a withering candle's light. "Sagira is the only one capable of obligating someone to obey him under the guise of a Red Eye member."
When Wolfram's eyes only continued to narrow, Khalid clarified by stating, "Sagira can take Gwendel whenever he desires."
"No!" Wolfram bellowed in denial and protest.
With the slightest touch of sadism, Khalid inquired, "Would you kill your own brother, Wolfram, if you had to?"
Wolfram's hair stood on end like an enraged feline ready to pounce on his prey. "How dare you-"
"Just as Conrart may be forced to kill you?" Khalid added.
Everyone reacted to the comment.
"What are you saying?!" Yuri demanded, eyebrows furrowing. "Conrad could never-"
Khalid's smirk spread. "He killed me in a fit of jealously; he'd easily kill again to protect Your Majesty The Demon King. He's not such a calm and collected man as he appears to-"
"Stop it!" Yuri shouted.
Murata frowned and glanced to Conrad, who failed to conceal the disturbing realization that his face held. "Are you suggesting Lord von Bielefeld is rash enough to get Lord Weller to kill him?"
Still focused on Wolfram, Khalid responded, "Conrart does not only protect His Majesty but his ideals. If there was a force threatening those ideals, he'd fight it."
"What are you SAYING?! Speak in a way that I understand!" Wolfram bellowed, one hand gesturing to punch Khalid if the man disobeyed the order.
Khalid's amusement decayed off his lips. "You, Wolfram, will become that threat."
"W-What?" Wolfram whispered, his vehemence being overtaken by perplexity and horror. "Me?"
"Khalid," Murata began, "I suggest you explain."
Peeling Wolfram's hand off of him, Khalid shoved the blonde with such force it hurled him onto the floor. "I plan to test it out myself," he proclaimed, more to himself than Murata.
"Hey, knock it off!" Yuri shouted but as he made to stop Khalid, Murata's grip jerked him back. "Murata…"
Wolfram grunted upon colliding onto the hard surface. His eyes glared up but they were quick to dilate when Khalid tugged out his blade. With no warning, the man released a cry while his blade swung at an angle that would surely slice Wolfram.
Before Wolfram's combatant instincts registered the action and reacted, another source responded first. The flaxen haired prince's eyes brightened until the entirety of his eyes shined white. Simultaneously, thick ripples of an inferno exhibited upon his skin.
All this occurred within less than a second and as the blade attempted to harm Wolfram, the flames dancing upon his epidermis shot out. The intensity of the heat was enough of a threat and Khalid stumbled back in the knick of time to avoid permanent damage.
As the threat vanished, so did the fires. Wolfram's eyes returned in color and a breath of air escaped him. Staring at Khalid, Wolfram's breath began to regulate itself but the aftermath was still affecting him.
"What the…" Yuri began, physically incapable of moving.
Khalid glanced at his blade, which had partially melted as he muttered, "It has ripened in power."
Wolfram's wits returned and he blinked rapidly. "Th-That…thing inside me? It's real…"
"Of course it is," Khalid spat, irritated. "When Sagira got his originally body it also ripened the powers It possesses within the host. A deadly trade-off."
"The life source of Sulteri," Yuri repeated, transferring his gaze onto Wolfram's sitting form. "It's true."
Khalid nodded and tossed his blade aside. "Things are going to get very ugly," he warned, eyes downcast.
Swallowing, Conrad asked, "This…power inside Wolfram…"
"Yes," Murata answered on behalf of Khalid, who seemed interested in other things. "That power, the life source, is what Khalid suggests to be the threat."
"I still feel lost," Yuri admitted. He went to Wolfram and assisted his fiancé. "How can-"
"Shut up!" Khalid growled. "Where are the missing pieces?"
Conrad frowned at the man's sudden outburst. "Of the scrolls? Why do you-"
"Silence! Hand them over!"
Conrad tensed at the brutality of the command. "No," he denied, drawing his blade. "You've betrayed us and are still keeping us in the dark. You share all the information you have and then we'll consider handing them over."
Khalid growled and hissed, "You don't get it. If I don't have those, we'll stand no chance against Sagira! Give them to me! Sagira can attack us at any moment!"
"What?!" Yuri blurted, snapping his head toward Khalid. "He can't come into the palace can he? W-What about-"
"Fools!" Khalid screamed. "You don't understand anything!"
Murata tapped his chin and slanted his eyes. "He's right, Lord Weller. Hand them over," he instructed.
"Your Eminence!" Conrad gasped but the look Murata shot him dared the soldier to protest again. Conrad stared at Khalid for a brief moment but obliged by tossing the pieces he held in his uniform with a reluctant glare.
Snatching them with ease, Khalid began studying them.
"Murata, you know more than we do, don't you?" Yuri accused as he squeezed Wolfram's hand. His companion at his side moaned at the act, capturing Yuri's attention. "Wolfram? You okay?"
Eyes half lidded, Wolfram mumbled a weak, "I'm fine."
Murata's shoulders slacked and he sighed very deeply. "Goodness, this is becoming more trouble than it's worth. Let's get some rest," he suggested, yawning to emphasize his point.
"Your Eminence," Conrad said in a low voice.
Khalid, not even bothering to glance up from the documents, added with a more collected voice, "You're no Wise Man for nothing. You're welcome to rest in the rooms on this floor. Leave Lord von Voltaire here though."
Yuri's eyes narrowed.
Sensing the tension, Khalid uttered, "He'll be cared for by my shadows. If he is still under Sagira's influence, it's best if he's where he is now."
Yuri hesitated but eventually agreed. Tugging on Wolfram's hand, he said, "Come on, Wolfram."
"Brother," Wolfram barely whispered when he walked pass Gwendel's laying form.
101010
Sagira whistled as he gazed up. "Hm, yes, this seems right. They're closer than I suspected."
A body-less head rolled to his feet and groaned.
Kicking the head lightly to the side, Sagira scanned the area. "Yes, I'm quire aware of that but I have to say," he paused and mockingly posed for his dead minions. "I look dashing in Sulterian colors, no?"
Moans broke out.
"Oh shut up. What the hell do you know? You're dead. Now stop dawdling and find me the two that I seek."
As they obeyed, Sagira pressed his hands together in a display of prayer. His hands slightly parted and puffs of dark smoke emitted from the gap. Within the smoke swirled crystallized orbs and they recoiled upon spotting Sagira's face.
The man scanned the trembling orbs and grinned.
101010
"So by rest you mean 'talk alone without Khalid'," Yuri murmured, staring down at the cup of tea a servant had recently brought them. His ears caught the frantic commotion that was beginning to occur outside the room that they occupied.
Catching the same sound, Murata said, "It's no surprise they're frightened. Khalid must be working them like mad to prepare for Sagira. They already fixed all the damage that Sagira did before though. Being a Red Eye member has its perks."
"Caring to join them?" Conrad asked but his attempt at humor had rotted long ago.
Murata shrugged but smiled in response.
"Sagira," Wolfram's lips mouthed.
Perhaps it was a sixth sense that permitted Yuri to catch Wolfram's stress but regardless of the reason, the double black slithered a protective arm around his friend's shoulder. In the slight embrace, Wolfram glimpsed up.
"What now?" Wolfram asked though he knew Yuri could not answer that question with confidence.
With a sensitive and small smile, Yuri replied, "We stop Sagira."
Murata leaned forward in his seat, chin resting upon intertwined fingers. It was a common gesticulation he carried out when pondering. "I apologize to you, Lord von Bielefeld," he said with a firm voice.
"What?"
Conrad contributed to the Great Sage's remark by adding, "Gwendel was not entirely forced by Sagira to become his minion."
Wolfram and Yuri replied with similar looks due to the comment.
"We had spoken of this long before we befriended Sagira," Murata began, "for I had to prepare for the worst. The worst did come and it appears that it will only continue to get worse."
"What of Gwendel?" asked Wolfram, eyebrows sloping upward in concern.
"It was decided that if a…spy was necessary," Murata continued, cautious with his words, "We would submit. Gwendel went to talk to Sagira alone knowing what he would probably become."
Wolfram shook his head and cried, "But why?! Surely there are-"
Murata's smile almost relaxed Wolfram. "He had made a point at one time that he would certainly get his youngest brother back."
It stung Wolfram beneath his skin. His arms trembled and his fists clenched with enough passion to call forth the blaze within him. The barely visible hairs on his body stood and radiated a concentrated heat.
"W-Whoa, Wolfram, calm down!" Yuri begged when he was burnt by the flickering flames.
Wolfram gasped. The fire went out and his eyes focused. "…Sorry," was all he could say, looking to Yuri with hurt eyes.
"So you can summon It now," Conrad observed, highly interested. "We may have another option just yet. Khalid is not the only one capable of fending off Sagira."
Interest piqued, Wolfram said, "Huh?"
Conrad nodded. "If we can harness what you have within you, perhaps we stand a stronger chance. You should be allowed some control over It."
Murata smiled but his true emotion was held tight beneath the gleam of his glasses. "Why don't you and Lord von Bielefeld get some rest, Shibuya? I think Lord Weller's theory is interesting but we cannot do anything about it unless Lord von Bielefeld rests. We'll leave you two to do that."
Yuri blinked but slowly nodded. "Ah…um…okay."
Reluctant and irritated, Wolfram shot Murata a tough stare as the boy stood. Conrad understood Murata's intention so he stood up and trailed behind the boy. "We'll be close by in case of anything," he added as he shut the door behind him, leaving the couple to themselves.
They were greeted politely by random servants and soldiers who rushed pass them as they strolled a small distance away. Luckily none bothered to speak to them so Conrad had no difficulty in inquiring, "What is it, Your Eminence?"
Murata finally allowed his façade to melt. "Your theory is not stable, Lord Weller."
"…I see."
"I really did not want it to come to this but I believe we may have no other choice. The outcome may be very deadly though," Murata elaborated, sighing in distress.
"What is it?" Conrad asked again.
Murata stood still and silent for a moment as if grappling with his own thoughts. However, for whatever purpose, Murata looked to the brunette and confessed.
"You need to know something, Lord Weller."
101010
Alone, Wolfram pressed his body against Yuri's. His fiancé flushed brightly but his body responded in kind, his dark hair lacing with Wolfram's fair-haired curls. Together, they reclined against one another for a few moments to appreciate the other's presence.
Yuri took one of Wolfram's hands in his own and assured the blonde, "No matter what happens, we'll all get back home safely."
"Home," Wolfram repeated, a smile toying with his lips. "It feels like a long time has passed since we received that letter."
"Look where it's gotten us," Yuri said playfully, delighted when Wolfram's shoulder shook in a short but obvious chuckle.
Wolfram lifted his head and suddenly wrapped his lips around Yuri's in a brief kiss. Leaning back, Wolfram opened his eyes and discovered Yuri's own eyes clouding with what Wolfram deduced to be sexual deprivation.
It took Wolfram a second to register that conclusion but Yuri's body responded half a second earlier. Like a wild creature during mating season, the double black pounced atop of Wolfram, pinning him effectively to the large couch that was crafted of satin.
"Yuri!" Wolfram breathed, eyes wide, but they lacked the fear they held previously. His mouth was dominated and overpowered by Yuri's hungry lips, which tore open his mouth to feed the primeval desire.
"I thought," Yuri gasped between deep breaths, "I…had lost you…"
Groaning in his own hunger, Wolfram's mind hurled away any concerns, fears, and anxieties. Instead, his brain sent signals to his body, rendering him needy. With as much valor, Wolfram clung to the back of Yuri's neck and splayed his legs wider apart to allow Yuri a more comfortable and appropriate position.
Yuri quickly obliged and as he rubbed between Wolfram's thighs, they simultaneously gasped. Growling, Yuri repeated the motion but with more intensity and with a new found roughness Wolfram was unaware that his fiancé was capable of.
Not that he minded at the moment. In fact, he encouraged Yuri by arching up into his fiancé's dominating movements, applying more pressure against their most delicate parts. They clawed at one another, growled, snarled, and groaned while their lower regions thrust, rubbed, and jerked against the other's, sending their body's pleasure to escalating proportions.
During their animalistic motions, the breeches Yuri wore were tossed aside while Wolfram's layered robe was thrust upward. With the better access to skin contact, Yuri and Wolfram allowed themselves to flee from reality's cruel clutches.
The pit of Wolfram's stomach flipped when Yuri's hand snuck in between their bodies to grasp Wolfram's swollen part. This sent Wolfram's hips twitching and his moans to increase in volume, his eyes shutting tightly.
"Y-Yuri!"
With a single evolutionary and biological reaction, it was over.
Wolfram, returning to reality, blinked back the area into focus. Yuri lay atop him, sucking in as much air as possible to absorb oxygen. He moaned against Wolfram's neck and struggled to roll off of him after a few minutes. "S-Sorry," he huffed, face bright with that of exercise and embarrassment.
Sensing a sticky sensation all over his thighs and stomach, Wolfram understood Yuri's humiliation. He himself flushed but kept his eyebrows furrowed as if to conceal his own timid response to what they had just done.
"Wimp," he uttered, "it's not that big a deal."
Yuri looked down at Wolfram and broke into a shy smile. "Sorry," he mumbled again as he scampered off of Wolfram. "I…Was it….I didn't mean…"
"It's fine, Yuri," Wolfram persisted, sitting up. "Wait. Don't tell me you're regretting it?"
Flustered, Yuri stammered, "I-It's not…I just…I mean…I'm not use to this, Wolfram! I…really liked it…though I wasn't expecting it."
Huffing, Wolfram snatched a decorative pillow from beside him and pummeled Yuri with it. "You insufferable dolt! Say what you-mmph!"
The kiss was the water to evaporate Wolfram's irritated flame.
"Wolfram?" asked Yuri as they parted, his eyes half glazed.
"Mm?"
"Am I…allowed to say 'I love you'?"
Wolfram blinked and for once, was unsure as to how to react.
"Yuri?"
"Huh?"
"Stop asking stupid questions and tell me you love me."
101010
"We will arrive shortly, Sir," Yosak pronounced as he patted a horse's neck. "Once they drink up, we'll set off again."
Gunter nodded in approval and clasped his hands together. "Oh, Your Highness," he sighed, "please be safe. Just hold on and your loyal servant Gunter will rescue you from the clutches of chaos!"
Yosak shook his head as Gunter continued rambling to the heavens above, hoping Yuri would somehow respond in a symbolic manner. The blue eyed warrior glanced to his side as another solider signaled to him.
"Something wrong?" asked Yosak.
"Over there! Look!"
Gunter, jerked out of his prayer, slanted his body to peer in the direction suggested. Yosak did the same and the spy uttered, "Someone's coming? Friend or foe?"
"I'm not su-gah!"
The gurgle sent Yosak wincing as the fellow reporter's head severed from the body it once presided over. The head toggled off and rolled over the ground, the breaking of grass blades offering the only sound that shattered the stunned silence.
The figure, which was once many yards away, stood before them now in a flash. "Don't worry about that," a low and provoking voice insisted. "I don't intend to do the same to you all just yet."
Gunter was the first to shout in horror, "It cannot be!"
"Why yes it is, Gunter von Christ," Sagira cooed. The man, dressed in royal Sulterian robes, addressed Gunter. "You're recovering well from that incident. You looked beautiful, crucified."
"How the hell-" Yosak began, preparing his body to battle.
Sagira raised his hand and the small gesture was enough to immobilize everyone in fright. The Bad laughed in utter enjoyment and he said, "So I see you know the truth if you're that terrified of me."
Swallowing, Gunter persisted, "You must stop this, Sagira! Wolfram will kill us all if you-"
"Wolfram?" Sagira asked as if forgetting the name. "Hm…Yes, he's going to probably kill you and I plan to initiate that. After all, what other way to destroy and maim than by using the epitome of what darkness is?"
Yosak, after tightening his nerves and riding out the fear, requested, "Tell us then why are you here. Where's your precious weapon for that matter?"
Sagira tilted his head. "We're playing a game. I'm the feline and he's the rodent."
Gunter cringed and glowered at the comment.
"As to why I'm here," Sagira stated, stroking his lower lip with a thin finger. "Well, I though I'd reunite you with your comrades."
Snorting, Yosak offered his own version of Sagira's twisted smirk, "Oh? And why would you do such a noble act, you bastard?"
Eyes glowing, Sagira stretched out his hand, which had morphed into something murky and sinisterly black. His hand sprung forth snake like beasts that snatched around the limbs of Gunter and Yosak while pitching aside the soldiers who made to stop him.
"Because it's more fun to torture someone when their comrades are there to watch the event."
101010
Wolfram stretched on the bed and curled into a fetal position. Having been cleaned and sexually satisfied, he and Yuri concluded it best if they allow their bodies to recharge.
Yuri still continued to blush when he shared a gaze with Wolfram but his attitude did not betray his authentic affection. His arm positioned Wolfram to lie on his shoulder. With his other hand, Yuri fingered his fiancé's arm, drawing lazy shapes.
"Hey, Wolf," he began as he kept his concentration on the drapery above his head, "that power inside of you…You think Conrad had a point?"
"I…don't know. Until recently, I had never actually acknowledged I had It inside. I've never had that power manifest before," Wolfram reported, settling his eyes upward as well. The drapery's fluidity and solid color allowed for better concentration.
"You have actually," Khalid's voice rang, startling the couple.
Wolfram snapped up into a sitting position. "You! It's rude to enter a room without knocking! We could have been undressing! Pervert!"
Ignoring the insult, Khalid continued, "There's something I've decided to show you. Come this way."
When Wolfram made to protest, Khalid said, "I'll prove to you your powers have manifested."
Though still bitter, Wolfram's curiosity edged him to follow Khalid. Yuri tagged along side him, his own curiosity demanding answers to their current situation. Across the now open room revealed another room, whose doors exposed the interior of the chambers where Murata and Conrad resided.
The two noted the others and were quick to follow.
Khalid kept his silence constant as he guided them to a room whose only barrier consisted of silken and fine curtains. He gently coaxed them aside and everyone mimicked his actions so that they may enter.
"What is that?" asked Yuri at the strangely familiar statue occupying the middle of the lonely room.
Something attached a piece to the puzzle that was Wolfram's mind as he replied in a stunned tone, "It's Namir."
Murata frowned but agreed, "Indeed it is."
"He would have passed in a most tragic way, his soul feeding Sagira, if it were not for Wolfram." Khalid enlightened as he kept his voice tight as to not reveal emotion.
"What happened?" questioned Conrad, his heart clenching in brief mourning for the child. Regardless of what Namir had done, he was still just a child who had grown far too quickly.
Khalid said, "He had found where Sagira was hidden before I did. He did not tell me and went on his own to confront or spy on him, I assume. Sagira caught him. He must have been tortured brutally for his mind to scream for help.
It heard Namir's cries and It rescued his servant. Brought back to the palace, Namir was returned like this. I suppose It figured this was the only way to save Namir from Sagira; solidifying him in a magical stone blockade."
Wolfram's eyes enlarged and he took a step toward the boy's form. "I remember," he whispered, "the night…I heard screaming and then I was drowning in a fire."
The blonde turned to face Khalid. "That was…"
"Yes," Khalid answered. "I told you once before that It can protect Its servants."
Conrad pressed, "Why stone?"
Khalid almost hesitated. "We cannot die, technically. Our body does not age unless our soul leaves it through a transfer. However, there lies in the single weakness."
"If a normal individual was incased in stone, their body would still decay beneath it and once dead, their spirit would be free," Murata offered details, adjusting his glasses. "Yet if your body is not mean to age, you are eternally trapped in darkness."
Nodding, Khalid added, "Our body would fuse to the magical encasing and even if the stone were to be destroyed, the particles forever exist. We are trapped within those particles still, no matter how tiny."
"Death for the dead," Murata summarized.
Wolfram pressed a hand to his face. "So Namir…"
"Is no more," Khalid finished.
The brutality and terror of his situation shook Wolfram to the core and he wrapped his arms around himself, unsure as to how to react. "Who else knows of how to do this?" he asked Khalid.
Khalid's lip grew thin. "We've no time for triviality. We must focus on Sagira now."
"How do we stop him?" Yuri inquired, swallowing his fear.
"…I don't know," Khalid disclosed.
"What do you mean, you don't know?!" Wolfram hissed.
Glaring rudely, Khalid growled back, "There IS no plan! Don't you understand? We cannot fight something that has no purpose!"
Conrad stepped before Wolfram to prevent his younger brother from pouncing. "What do you mean, no purpose?"
Frustrated, Khalid divulged, "Sagira has no motive like a typical foe. He does not desire power, wealth, land, nothing! He does what he does because he wants to hear this type of person's scream or how blood will flow if the cut was made here; he does this because he can!"
"Nonsense!" Wolfram yelled. "Wha-Ah!"
"Wolfram!" Yuri hollered and he scurried to clutch the boy's forearms. "What's wrong?"
Wolfram seized his pulsing head with a solid grip. "It's him! Sagira's here!" he gasped, eyes widening and pupils vanishing.
Khalid cursed and frantically ran out of the room. As he screamed orders out, Conrad took the opportunity to ask Wolfram, "The power lets you sense Sagira?"
A groan released itself from Wolfram's throat and his eyes fluttered. "Y-Yes, It told me," he confessed, face paling. His body tensed instantly and his face flushed out any of its natural color, rendering Wolfram ill-looking.
"We have to get out of the palace," the Prince commanded.
"What?" Murata asked as he peered out of the window, expecting uninvited guests.
"Sagira's going to attack the palace!" Wolfram screamed and as he did, the palace groaned as it began rumbling. The force of the attack was explosive and ear piercingly shattering.
"Get out!" Conrad hollered, assisting to usher them out to safety. "The window!"
Windows cracked and detonated, ornaments crumbled to their deaths and the walls fractured, threatening to topple the entire structure that is the palace. Debris blocked their paths while the smoke from toppling and igniting items clouded their vision.
"Which way?!"
The moaning sparked all their heads to glance up.
The roof caved in on them.
From outside the room, Khalid sensed the roof's crumbling. "WOLFRAM!"
Let. Me. Out
101010
"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Gunter shrieked as he struggled against his restraints violently. "YOUR HIGHNESS!!"
Yosak's face contorted and twitched at the sight of a magnificent palace crumbling in on itself in such a dramatic display of shattering beauty. "Captain!!"
"You BEAST!" Gunter screamed at Sagira, who stood with arms crossed only 30 feet away from the destruction. "I'll see to it that you get the ultimate punishment for this!!"
The corpses and body ligaments wrapped tighter onto Gunter to a painful degree, their sadistic hold rendering him silence. Sagira kept his eyes fixated at the palace's doom and amidst the turmoil he could clearly capture the screams and sobs of those from within. Even the villagers shrieked in horror at the death of their symbolic home.
It excited him.
"Oh, you're quiet now, thank goodness. You're a talkative one, aren't you?" Sagira sneered at Gunter. "Our kings won't die that easily."
Gunter's eyes widened in hope.
"I plan to kill him with my own two hands," Sagira admitted, smirk extending into a smile, if one could deem it that.
As his statement was completed, a magnificent cyclone of fire ripped out from the decaying structure, blinding those around it. Sagira's crimson eyes continued to stare despite the light's harm and he laughed.
A heavy portion of the palace was hurled far away from its original spot, clearing a path for Wolfram, who stood within the cyclone's devilish eye. The emerald orbs were lost to a clear slate of mixed white and gold but they were set on Sagira.
Beside him floated everyone who resided in the palace, encased in circular cloud-like puffs of flame. Sagira grinned upon settling his eyes on Rashid. "Hey, Uncle Rashie."
Rashid blinked in astonishment and surveyed the area. "What in good heaven's name is going on?!" he screamed, particularly when Sagira's figure caught his attention. "Sagira!"
Wolfram's eyes further brightened at the crudeness of Sagira's comment and the flames flickering off his body intensified. "You have infuriated me for the last time," the Prince proclaimed with a distorted voice that held the identity of something dark and deadly.
"Yes, getting angry is always good," Sagira jeered, taking a step forward.
"Back off!" Wolfram screamed and a trail of flames charged at Sagira, pounding into the man with such power, he was knocked off his feet and pitched into the air.
"Wolfram," Yuri huffed, pressing his hands against his little bubble of fire. "This is…It?"
Sagira regained balance in the air and landed gracefully on his feet. The burns on his skin hissed but alleviated due to his biological mechanisms. "Excellent," he stated, like a man satisfied with a purchase.
"Wolfram!" Conrad hollered, eyes narrowing. "That's Gunter and Yosak down there! Don't hurt them!"
Glancing up, Wolfram's eyes slanted to suggest his irritation. "Gunter?" he asked.
The only thing you shall concern yourself with is your precious lover. Trust no one but the one inside you. I know what you need to save him.
Save…Yuri…
Yes, my host. I can grant you that wish.
Murata's eyes widened at the perplexed expression Wolfram's blank eyes carried. "We have to stop him! Khalid! Stop him now!"
The terror in Murata's voice traumatized Yuri. Never had he had the displeasure of experiencing Murata's pure cry of dread. "What's happening?!" Yuri thusly commanded in a booming voice, hoping the others could hear him through the flames.
Murata frantically caught Yuri's eyes and explained, "If Lord von Bielefeld submits to the entity inside, he'll go mad! He'll kill everyone, Shibuya!"
The sentence did not register properly in Yuri's mind. "W-What?"
Khalid cried out as he tore his barrier. He leapt down and proceeded to lower down the others with his own magical abilities. He grasped Conrad by the shoulder and shouted, "Just worry about your King. Leave Wolfram and Sagira to me!"
Conrad darted his attention between Wolfram and Sagira. "…Save him, Khalid," his voice said and Khalid detected the man's desperation.
"I'll do that," Khalid said and with a mocking salute, he was engulfed in shadows.
A slight distance from what would become the battlefield, Yuri was held back by Conrad's firm grip. "No…Wolfram…this can't be…"
Wolfram growled when Khalid reconstructed himself in front of his path, interrupting his thoughts. "Get out of the way!" Wolfram ordered.
"No," Khalid protested. "I'm going to help you stop Sagira."
The bellow Wolfram tore loose from the pit of his stomach chilled the skies themselves. In a blind rage, the flames trickles loose from his body and dashed madly for Khalid, cloaking him in a blanket of hell's fire.
Sagira laughed with childish glee. "How marvelous! Ah, but I want to deliver the main blow. I can't let him have all the fun," he stated. "Your mine, little brother."
His fingers stretched toward Khalid's struggling form and as he made to ensnare the man, a powerful strike from behind sent him slamming into the ground. "Ah!" he cried as he made an uncomfortable landing.
Fury brightened his eyes and Sagira's smile rotted away. He was in anger for not being able to sense who it was that had struck the blow. Glancing back, Sagira's smile returned. "Well, well…"
Gwendel, clutching his chest, stumbled to stand straight. "T-Thanks to you," he rasped, "I can-nng! I can…use magic even on this soil."
"Gwendel!" Gunter cheered. "You're alright! I grew worried when you didn't reply to Yosak's letter!"
From across the field, Conrad stared in wonder. "Gwendel!" he cried in joy as did his godson.
The sudden cheered caught Wolfram's attention and the cyclone he fabricated settled down into a calmer breeze that danced around his form. "Brother?" he posed, body muscles relaxing.
"Wolfram," Gwendel confirmed, wincing. "W-What…do you think you're doing, a-acting-nng-so….foolishly!"
The infliction in which Gwendel said the statement insinuated his concern for Wolfram and the blonde did not miss it. The brothers held their gaze and Gwendel's lip curled into a smirk. "You'll…be on patrol duty…for a month…"
Sagira scoffed at the display of brotherly affection and seized the opportunity to vanish. He reappeared behind Gwendel before anyone registered the action, his hands clutching the larger man. The very touch scalded Gwendel's skin and the earth bender bellowed in protest but was immobilized to repel the action.
"Brother!" Wolfram screamed.
"Going to harm your own brother just to get to me, Wolfram?" Sagira teased. "Does it make you angry if I do this?"
Wolfram's blood boiled when Sagira taunted him by brushing his lips over Gwendel's, as he had done before to claim the man's body as his own personal puppet.
"How…dare…!"
Let me help you. It is too late for your darling brother. His eye reflects that. Your precious Demon King will be next unless you let me out.
I want to…
Yes, just do as I say.
Wolfram's eyes then shut and the fire faded into oblivion. He made his decision in a split second and his eyes snapped open once more to reveal darkness. What could be seen of his eyeballs were solid black that promised much turmoil and chaos as their color suggested.
"No," Murata said.
"No!" Yosak spat. "Don't you dare!"
Wolfram's lips twitched and they slithered on his face until they conveyed a wide smile. In a massive explosion, the flames roared back into life but with intensity far more powerful than anyone could fathom.
Yuri shook his head, denying what was unraveling before him. "Wolfram," he begged but his voice was too shaken to distract his fiancé. "Please…"
A strange light emanated around Yuri, one of calming and purity. Flames off his body, Khalid frantically slid via the shadows and appeared before Yuri. "Your Majesty!"
"H-Huh? Khalid, are you okay?!"
Khalid shook his head. "Your Highness, even if you become The Demon King, you cannot survive long without feeling tired, correct?"
Yuri only stared but Conrad answered on his behalf, "He's improving but…"
"I know what we must do, Your Highness."
Sagira meanwhile removed his lips from Gwendel's and cast Wolfram a perverse glare. "Excellent," he murmured.
Despite Gwendel being employed as a shield, Wolfram flung a small cyclone toward the direction of Sagira, its attack igniting fires all around what was now deteriorating into a desolate wasteland.
"NO!"
A new surge of power interrupted the battle.
Wolfram growled as his cyclonic inferno was obliterated, water counteracting his attack. The result of opposing forces clashing resulted in a massive display of evaporation. The point of contact hissed and once the smoke dispersed, the one responsible for the new power emerged.
Conrad rushed closer to the scene with Murata on his tail. "It…It worked!" he breathed, astonished at who stood to confront Wolfram and Sagira's conflict.
The Demon King stood erect, his water dragons poised for battle behind him, swaying.
"Is that…Khalid…or His Highness?" Yosak whispered, jerking when the decaying limbs clutching him tighter, possibly in fear.
The Demon King parted his eyelids.
"Both," Gunter gasped. "Oh, Your Highness…"
Two crimson colored slit orbs revealed themselves.
1010…TBC…1010
Well, things are coming to an end soon enough.
Let me know your thoughts as per usual and thanks to those of you keeping this story afloat!
Until the epic battle,
Mirai Kurosaki